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Callous drivers still tossing butts

Selma Milovanovic

VICTORIAN drivers are continuing to toss cigarette butts from their car windows despite the devastating bushfires.

It is understood that in the week since the bushfires, 850 people have been reported to the Environment Protection Authority for throwing lit and unlit butts out of vehicles around the state.

An EPA spokeswoman said that since the bushfires began, the authority had received around double the number of public litter reports compared to a typical summer week, and 90 per cent related to cigarette butts.

Environment Minister Gavin Jennings said that anyone who threw cigarette butts out a car window showed a "blatant disregard for the community and the environment".

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"It is extraordinary to think that, at a time when all Victorians are being confronted by the devastating effects of fire, some people are still careless with their cigarette butts," he said.

The EPA said litter reports increased during the bushfire season as people became more vigilant.

The authority can issue on-the-spot fines of $227 to drivers who are reported littering.

It encourages the public to report littering within seven days of the alleged offence.

Infringement notices are sent to the vehicle's registered owner, who must complete a statutory declaration in the event that another person was driving when the litter was dropped.